Preterm labor: Day 3

Its 2:30am on Sunday, February 17. I am sitting here basking in the glow of the machines and listening to the swoosh of my baby's heart rate monitor. Day three locked up in the Labor and Delivery unit. My baby boy hit two big milestones today. First and foremost, he is 32 WEEKS old today, which seems to be a magic preemie age goal. He made it.

Baby Nate (ahhh, Jameson? Nate? Which one?!?!), also received his second and final steroid injection to assist with lung development. The most pressing goal was to get him to keep cooking until 5pm EST tonight (Sunday) to allow the steroid injections their full affect on his tiny body. Assuming that today goes like yesterday, he should be able to make it in there until 5.

{there is a reason they don't put bedside mirrors, I suppose}

At 5pm I have to be removed from both of the medications that are keeping my contractions under control. I am already on them past what would be "average". I will switch over to a new drug that may or may not be effective. It is the only drug available to take over. If my body responds well to the drug, he has the potential (although highly unlikely) to stay cooking for a few weeks longer, if not, we'll be welcoming a little 32 week 1 day baby boy tonight.

How am I? I miss my Eva. I haven't seen her since Friday evening. The medicine that I'm on makes me really loopy and high. She is staying with my friend and her daughter 20 minutes away. I am so thankful that we have friends that ARE family to help us in our time of need. I know she is in good hands. I am so thankful that I don't bed to worry about her while I am here on lock down. I miss her desperately though. I feel guilty for having to be away from her and for keeping her away from her Daddy too.

{right before we left for the hospital on Friday.  We had no idea what was coming)

I wish we had family around here. I wish my sisters could be here to support me. I wish my Mom was alive and could hop on the next plane out to help us make it through all of this scariness. I wish this baby was a couple weeks bigger. I wish my house wasn't 30 minutes from my hospital. I wish, I wish, I wish.

I'm thankful my sweet Eva is safe and happy with her "cousin" and "Auntie". I'm thankful my husband can take off whatever time he needs to while we're going through this. I'm thankful my hospital has a Level IIIB NICU that is perfectly capable of treating my early arrival. I'm thankful that my body is strong and healthy and able to handle everything that is being thrown at it right now.

{getting in bed with her cousin last night}

If you are one to send out positive thoughts or prayers for others, here are my immediate goals for today:

1. Keep these contractions under control until 5pm so Baby can get his full dose of steroids
2. My blood pressure is naturally very low. They cannot administer the new, safer anti-contraction drug tonight unless my BP is over 90/50. Mine is usually right on or below this cusp.
3. Please keep my Eva on your mind. Despite being in wonderfully capable hands, this must still be very confusing for her.

Thank you for all of the sweet thoughts.

Xoxo